Family justice: reforming public law case procedures

Hot on the heels of the announcement of on-line divorce applications (see this blog Feb 2 2018), information has just been published as a blog from HMCTS on developments relating to the digitalisation of procedures relating to public law childrens’ cases.

Emma Petty, Service Manager for the Public Law project, writes:

We want to make the public law process more efficient, ensuring the court, parties and their representatives have access to the right information at the right time to help decide the best outcomes for children involved in public law cases. Based on our early thinking, the aims of the project could be to:

provide an online application process which speeds up the gatekeeping process and shares information with partner agencies at the point of submission

improve the process for dealing with urgent applications

enable users to see the progress of their case and to take action to progress their case online

provide clear signposting to support available outside HMCTS, to assist parties acting in person and without a lawyer

enable users to upload and access documents and evidence digitally both outside and inside the courtroom

ensure suitable facilities and support are provided at hearing centres

enable hearings, where appropriate, to be conducted online

provide fast digital access to outcomes of hearings

ensure those who need it get the support they need to access our digital services.

Over coming months, the Public Law Project team will be working with practitioners and others involved in these types of case in developing practices and procedures to deliver these goals. This is an important development within the scope of the Transformation of the Justice System policy.